GIS at FBF

The new Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest webpage has made it easier for us to share Geographic Information System (GIS) data.  You can learn more about GIS at our GIS page.  We currently have a sample lesson on using GIS data from Beidler Forest in conjunction with the ArcGIS Online site.  There is a selection of GIS data files related to Beidler Forest that can be downloaded from our data page.  These files will be periodically updated with new information and additional data files will be loaded in the coming weeks, so check back often!

The ArcGIS Online map-making site is easy to use and can be a powerful tool in education.  We have used the  site to create a virtual tour of the boardwalk.  Once the map is loaded, click on any symbol to see text and an image for that location.  We will continue to add data to this map.  You can use the map to plan your trip around the boardwalk or use the map after your visit to help share your experience!

The screenshot above was taken from the National Weather Service's Charleston site. The site also offers GIS and Google Earth files of the weather service's imagery.

Today, there is plenty of thunder in the area and the weather service's radar shows rain, but it will take many days of this type of weather to fill the swamp again.  Additionally, those 90F temperatures in coming weeks will accelerate the removal (evaporation, transpiration) of any water from today's system that falls within the swamp's watershed.

The lower water in the swamp has made it trickier to find some of wildlife.  However, we have some new images and will post them shortly.

New Web Pages for Beidler Forest and Audubon SC

Over the last two weeks, we have been busy building the new web pages for Audubon South Carolina and the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  Audubon South Carolina's page has been up and running, but today the new Beidler Forest page went live.

You will need to update your bookmarks and many of the hyperlinks in previous posts in this blog will no longer work.  However, you will be able to find the same information within the new webpage. We were not able to load all of the images onto the new page before it launched, but we have loaded a sample and will continue to load images to the various galleries.

Some new features on the page include videos, a PDF version of the boardwalk guidebook, a German version of the boardwalk guidebook, and well as a virtual boardwalk tour via a Geographic Information System (GIS) interactive map.

Take the page for a spin and let us know what you think.